


Don't I Know You?

by Zephyrfire



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Origin Story, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-04 04:33:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2942621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zephyrfire/pseuds/Zephyrfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel Belle is in love.  Too bad she's in love with another girl.  Another girl who doesn't seem to love her back.  So what should Rachel do?  Go in undercover and win the heart of Kara, the beautiful girl Rachel's in love with.  Written in 1stPOV by Rachel.  Non-Graphic violence.  Mild language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Kid in Town

**Author's Note:**

> Okay guys, this is an original of mine that I'm particularly fond of. I really hope you guys like it as much as I do.

I took a deep breath then let it all out in a huff. Here it goes. I opened the door to the school I'd been going to for three years and prepared to be the new kid again.

I should probably explain what's going on. There's this girl- brown hair always tied back in a down to earth ponytail, laughing green eyes and I swear the most beautiful smile you will ever see in your entire lifetime- and I've been in love with her since I met her three years ago. Her name is Kara Halt. I didn't believe in love at first sight until I saw her and I knew. I knew that for as long as I lived, I wouldn't love anyone else, and if I didn't win her love then I would never find anyone else. Sounds dramatic, right? Maybe, but it's true. The thing is, there's no way she'll ever have me. I know what you're thinking- ask the girl out and see how it goes, right? Wrong. I met her here at school. I introduced myself, hoping she wouldn't notice my vivid staring, and we began to hang out. We were friends for a long time, until one day everything just fell into place and we became best friends. I don't know exactly when or how it happened, but that's just how it goes, isn't it. Being my best friend, she talked to me about everything, and I watched her date a lot of guys. And I mean a lot, but none of them lasted long, and Kara would tell me everything she couldn't handle about them and then end by saying 'he's just not the right guy for me' to which I would nod understandingly and think why can't _I_ be the right guy for you.  Which is obvious really.  Because I'm not a guy.  My name is Rachel Belle, I'm seventeen, and I'm totally gay, and I want to be with Kara more than I thought possible... You see my dilemma.  Over the school holidays I told all my mates that I was going to Ireland to visit my grandparents and didn't know when I was going to be back.  This was my alibi for what I was about to do.  I then cut off my brown-blonde locks until my hair didn't even reach my ears.  I bought myself brown contact lenses to hide my unusual- and therefore obvious- grey eyes.  I bought myself men's deodorant, some clothes that could pass as a guy's and even your typical teenage boy pair of nikes. I know, desperate, right?  You're probably wondering what my parents thought of this strange behaviour.  Well, my father's dead, and my mother moved to America at the end of last year.  I'm alone now.  My mum paid the rent on the house from America and it continued to be paid until I turned eighteen, which was in eleven months.  I never really got along with my mum, and I loved being alone, so I was perfectly content with the arrangement.

So there I was in the doorway of my school, Oker Community College, dressed in a daggy Doctor Who shirt and long grey trousers.  I ran my hand nervously through my brutally short hair to mess it back up and walked into the hallway.  A few people looked at me as I passed, but not many, and so I made it to my 'new' (which is actually my original) locker with no problem.  I pretended to be having trouble with the combination when I heard a noise that sent butterflies loose in my stomach.  Kara's laugh.  It was nearly as beautiful as her.  Oh, I hoped to God she wouldn't recognise me.  I turned slowly and watched as she approached, chatting with another one of my mates, Levii.  Her locker was right next to mine, so I continued fiddling with the lock until she was right next to me.  My mouth was dry.  Was she going to recognise me?

"Do you want help with that?"  I heard her ask.  I turned to face her, not looking at her face but rather her right shoulder.

"Please," I said. "This combination isn't working."

"Here.  My friend used this locker."  She opened it for me.  "I guess that means she won't be coming back," she added sadly.  Yes!  She was missing me!

"Oh, I'm sorry, I took her locker then.  I'm Ryan by the way.  Thanks for helping me out."

"I'm Kara, and it's no trouble at all.  Do you want me to show you around?"

"That would be great," I replied with a smile.

So, that day hadn't gone too badly.  I hung out with all my mates and none of them realised who I was.  Kara invited me into her group like the kind person she is, and I happily accepted (obviously).  It also turns out we have four classes together.  She sat with me in all of them.  Every.  Single.  One.  I lay in bed that night thinking about how I could get her to go out with me.  Once we started dating I was sure I would be able to tell her that it was me.  The only problem; how to ask her out. 


	2. Awkward Encounters.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horse books in the library.

I waited three weeks to ask her. I know, I know, three weeks isn't very long, but I was desperate. Besides, I'd known her longer than three weeks, she just didn't know that yet. My heart died a little when she turned me down.  
"I'm sorry Ryan... I don't know you that well. And umm, I have a boyfriend."  What! Since when!? They mustn't have been together for too long, otherwise I would have known about it.  I just hoped he wouldn't be 'the one' that she was looking for.  The next couple of days were full of awkward encounters in the hallway where neither of us really knew what to say.  We got over it a few days later.

I was sitting in the dark part of the library, knees up and reading I Am the Great Horse - just because I'm gay it doesn't mean I can't like horsies, okay? - when she found me.  She sat directly across from me.   
"I don't want things to be weird between us anymore," she whispered.  
"Neither do I," I whispered back.  "I didn't know you have a boyfriend."  
"Had," she corrected me. "I dumped him."  
"Why?"  
"Oh, he's just not right for me, that's all."  
"I'm sorry..?"  She didn't seem too cut up about it, and I definitely wasn't cut up about it.  
"Thanks.  What are you reading?"  
"Uh... Umm... I Am the Great Horse."  My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I held it up for her.  
"Cool," she grinned at me. "I love that a guy is reading something like that."  
"Oh I'm all over it," I joked. "Flicka, Black Beauty, and here's the kicker; my personal favourite is Pony Pals." She snorted at that, causing the librarian to give us evils.  I mouthed 'sorry' at her and turned back to Kara, grinning.  "Really, that little Acorn is just so  _cute_." She laughed again.  Sigh, her laugh is so beautiful, and it was me that caused it.  Score one for Ryan.  We got kicked out of the library after that.  I reluctantly put my book back on the shelf, then we just wandered around the schoolyard for a while, chatting about books until the bell went.

I waited another month to ask her out again, and this time she said yes!  Yayayayayayay!  She agreed to go to dinner with me on Friday night.  I was planning to take her out to a fancy restaurant.  We would eat, laugh, bond, and then I'd drive her home and hopefully get a kiss goodnight.  

My plan fell to pieces.


	3. Parent Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Problems with the parents, tearful confessions and dinner for two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry I took so long to write this chapter, I have it all finished but I wasn't sure if anyone was really following. I have decided to post the whole thing in here anyway ;)

On Thursday, I didn't see Kara before class which was strange.  She hurried in fifteen minutes late, apologised profusely to Mr Pack, and slumped into the seat next to me.  And I mean  _slumped._  She looked sad and exhausted.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"My mum moved out last night," she sighed. "My parents had a massive fight and she left.  My dad was raging all night, and I didn't get any sleep.  Then he made me walk an hour and ten minutes to school."  
Anger and pity churned inside of me as she spoke, but I didn't get a chance to reply because we were silenced by our teacher.

On the walk to our next class I put my arms around her and she closed her eyes and leaned into me.  That was one of the only moments I was glad to have bound my damn boobs, like Viola in "She's the Man," because now I could hug her to me without any reservation.  I also just want to mention that I'm about ten centimeters taller than Kara, so we fit perfectly together.  I held her tight, both hands wrapped around her soft body.  Then we walked to second period as if it had never happened.  But I knew that it had.

I drove her home that day, wished her goodnight, offered to pick her up the next morning and then drove home, my thoughts on her all the way.  I went to bed early that night, selfishly hoping that she had a good sleep so that our date went  well the next day.  
  
The next morning, she stepped into my car with dark circles under her eyes and rested her head against the window.

"No sleep again?" I asked sympathetically.

"Not one minute," was her tired reply.

We got through  the day, but by last period I knew she was crashing.

"Hey, we can go out another time, okay?"

"I'm sorry Ryan, I really did want to go out with you tonight, it's just-"

"Don't worry about it," I cut her off. "I'll still drop you home and you can get some sleep..."  I trailed off at the look in her eyes.  "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to go home.  Not tonight." She looked on the verge of tears, so I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"How about this then: You come back to mine,  _I_ make you dinner and you can stay the night. Deal?" I gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"That would be wonderful." The relief in her voice was evident. "Will your parents be okay with it?"

"My parents and my sister are on holiday at the moment.  No problem at all."

It was settled.  She came home with me.

 

 

 

* * *

 

"Are you sure you don't want to go take a nap while I make dinner?" I asked for the third time, concerned at how exhausted Kara looked.

"I'm sure.  You're cooking for me; the least I can do is keep you company." She watched me as I cooked.  Suddenly a thought struck me.

"Do you like lasagne?" My intensity startled a laugh out of her.

"I love it, don't worry." She gave me a warm smile that made my insides twist into knots.  Lucky she likes lasagne, because that's the only decent meal I now how to make that doesn't involve eggs.  I snuck glances at her as I made the lasagne and salad; her blinks were slow and heavy, and she seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes open.  Pity filled me again as I looked at her.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" I asked as I put the lasagne in the oven.

"If I tell you something," she said slowly, "do you promise you won't tell anyone else?"

"I promise I will tell no one," I replied solemnly.  Uneasiness filled me.  What was so terrible that she wouldn't tell her friends and made me promise to keep it quiet?

She was silent for a very long time; the ticking of the timer was the only sound to be heard.  Finally, she looked up at me.

"My dad used to hit my mum.  Not often, but enough times to make me afraid of him and for her to stay out longer and later to avoid coming home to him when he had been drinking.  He used to leave bruises, and sometimes she ended up in hospital.  That's why she left.  But she didn't take me with her." Her voice broke at this, and I wanted to go to her, but I knew that if I reacted now she wouldn't be able to finish her story. "He threatened me last night, then went on and on about how it was my fault mum left." My fists clenched in anger. "I can't spend another night in that house.  Not with him in there."  She looked back up at me with tears in her eyes.  I took her hand in my own and gently stroked it with my thumb.

"I'm truly sorry to hear that.  You can stay here whenever you want, and you can talk to me about anything, okay?"

"Okay.  Thank you for this, Ryan."

"No problem at all." I answered quietly. 


End file.
